Combined cooking unit



Jan. 13, 1942; c EH 4 2,269,480

COMBINED COOKING UNIT Filed Dec. 6, 1939 JZ ,6 Q Z 6 5 INVENTOR 49 Mil/AM C Kev/M ATTORNEYS J2. J0 I 7 thereof;

Patented Jan. 13,1942

conmmsn cooxmc um i a William 0. Behm, ire-mm, com, m by mcsnc ts, to Manning, Bo

wmana 00., Merlden, Conn.,a corporation of Delaware I Application Dwember B, 1939, Serial No. 307,749

This invention relates to cooking utensils and particularly to a unit which maybe used for the roasting, broiling, frying and other cooking operations.

. One object of the invention is a novel and im proved combined cooking unit for the above indicated purposes which .is characterized by the ease and facility with which the various cooking operations may be performed.

A further object of the invention is such a unit which is characterized by the safety in op- :eration against burning the user and the table or other support upon which it is supported.

A further object 'of the invention is such a utensil which is characterized by its simplicity in construction and assembly and its low cost inproduction. v f

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear. T

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the'accompanying drawin forming a pa t of this applicatio wherein; v

Fig. 1 is a side view of a unit embodying the invention and showing one use thereof;

' Big. 2 is a plan view thereof;

3 is a fictional viewpn an enlarged scale 4 is aside viewof the unit partly in section indicating another use thereof; and v 1'18. 5 is a sectional view along the line H of 3. Referring to the drawing the invention is illustrated as embodied in a nnitcomprising a base I, an invertible upper member 2 in the manner a lower baflie plate 8, and in the par- Y ticular embodiment shownthe baille plate 8 is the peripheral edge oflthe skirt 4. The top plate 5 has a centrally dished-out part 6 with a shoulder I formed at the periphery thereof for a purpose hereinafter described. The top plates carries centrally thereof a supporting and reinforcing arch 9 of thin sheet metal, this arch being fastened to the top plate 5 at the dished-out part 6 in any suitable manner, as, for example, by spot welding the feet l0 formed on the arch to the top plate, the lower portion being fastened to the baiiie by a screw 10'. This arch forms a supporting brace between the top plate i and the brittle 8 and a means of assembly of the bame. The base is provided with-am; suitable supporting feet ll preferably. of insulating material which are fastened to the baflle 8. The baiile l and feet ll thus form the support for the unit and in the preferred formthe baffle plate I is of imperforate sheet form;

The grid and rack 3 assembly embodies a grid plate 13 which is supported upon the plate 5 of the base. This gridplate I3 is provided with a curved peripheral edge ll corresponding to a similar annular curved seat" 15 formed at the juncture of the plate 5 with the skirt 4 with which it mates to hold thegrid plate I3 firmly upon the member 5- of the base. The grid plate member I! is provided inwardly of its periphery with an annular shoulder 16 for the purpose of centering a grid or perforated plate member resting thereon, this grid member resting flat upon the grid plate l3 and in the particular embodiment shown being a wire rack. This rack comprises a peripheralg'rim of wire l8 to which the ends of closely spaced parallel wires I! are secured and to'which also the offset ends ll of a crosswise reinforcing wire I1 are secured. the wires I! in turn being secured to the cross wire ll at eachof their mid-points, the whole wire assembly being disposed so that its peripheral rim. II is adjacent to the shoulder 16 formed in the grid plate. A dot and dash line indicates asteakorthelikerestingupon thiswirerack.

The grid plate ii is provided centrally thereof with a pan or dished out part 20 for catching the drippings. plate 5 is provided with a 5 shoulder ll corresponding to the shoulder l8 provided with a peripheral flange 3' fitting into a and these shoulders assist inthe centering of the grid plate l3 while the plate 5 is dropped down inwardly of the shoulders I 6, Hi to form an air chamber B between the plates 5 and 13.

The invertible dome-shaped member 2 is provided with an electric heater unit 25 mounted therein in any suitable manner. In the particular embodiment shown this heater unit is spaced centrally from the dome member by a spacer tube 26 and a screw bolt 21 passes through an opening formed in the heater and is screwthreadedly attached to a holding nut 28 which is inserted through an opening formed centrally Y heater 25 is provided with an electric plug 30 connection which projects out through an opening in the side of the shell and is protected by a hood 3i suitably fastened to the shell., A heatplug engages, the plug .being omitted for cona venience in illustration. A U-shaped swinging arm 32 hinged at 3| to the hood 3| protects the user against accidental contact with the free but energized terminal pin, this arm being disposed within the hood and shiftableover laterally to protect the exposed pm when the plug is in. The shell is provided with a hinge bracket 35 which co-operates with a hinge bracket 36 fa s tened to the side of the base, the bracket 35 car-- rying pins 35 which are-supported in the open fork-like socket bearings 31 formed in the bracket 36. and the bracket 35 carries a hinge stop.

member 38'which engages the bearing surface 39formed n the side of the bracket 36 to hold I the shell in the vertical position'as indicated in dot and dash lines Fig. 1.

The upper member 2 is provided with a beaded edge 40 and the dimensions of the parts are such that the beaded edge in the position shown in Figs. 1 to 3 rests upon thegrid plate l3 at the inner 'edge of the curved rim l4 and the upper member is thereby held and centered-in position independently of the bracket 35, 35, although the bracket also performs some holding function.

The member 2 may beinverted from the position shown in Figs. '1 to 3. and supported upon the base I as indicated in Fig. 4 to function as an ordinary cooker or heater for various cooking and heating purposes. For this purpose the dome-shaped member 2 is provided with an annular seat 42 with a corresponding retaining shoulder 43 for resting upon the shoulder 1 formed in the base member around the periphcry of the dished-out part. B as shown in Fig. 4. In this position the grid plate and the rack assembly. 3 is wholly removed from the unit. The shell is also provided with suitable ventilation openings 44 on opposite sides thereof.

The dome member 2 is provided with a handle bracket 45, this bracket being in the form of a an ordinary cooker or heater as shown in 4. This may be effected by simply lifting and inverting the upper member ofixthe unit and replacing or removing the grid plate and the rack.

Since the upper member is curved and domeshaped at all parts thereof it cannot be inverted as in Fig. 4 and supported stably upon any plane surface as,- for example, a table which would be burned thereby. It can only be supported stably by supporting it upon the shoulder of the base forming a seat for the corresponding seat'42'of the shell. Accordingly, this unit may be used with proof-against accidental resting of unintentional support of the heat unit carrying part of 1 the'device upon a table or the like. Also in operation either as a broiler or as an ordinary cooker the utensil may be safely supported upon any table without danger of burning or scorching of the same. This is due, among other things, to

insulation against the transfer of heat by the l.In a cooking unit of the character set forth,

an invertible dome-like member carrying therein an electrical heating unit and having formed around the curved surface thereof a seating ring Y and a base provided with seating means for a grid plate and rack assembly when used as a refiector cooker, unit and a seating means corresponding to the seating ring formed in the domelike member for supporting the same in an inverted position. I e g 2. In a cooking unit of the character set forth, an invertible heater carrying unit of the reflector type, a base support member adapted to I support said invertible member in either of its cooking positions, said invertible member having an externally curved surface and a seatingring 3. In a cooking unit-of the character set forth,

a base member" having an upper plate member provided with a downwardly depending peripheral skirt, a baflle member fitting onto the periphery of said skirt, said plate member having a made of wood or any suitable material is fastened to the bracket 45 by means of a tightening bolt 41, the'latter extending through an opening formed longitudinally of the handle and screw-threadedly engaging an opening formed in the bracket 45 at 48. The handle 45 is insulated from the bracket 45 by insulating bushings 52 carried by pins 49. which are disposed between the spacer discs 50, there being three discs in the particular embodiment shown. The outermost disc is provided with a square hole 5| for the reception of the squared end projection -46 of the handle 46, and, if desired, the other discs 50 may be similarly provided with square openings. This enables tightening of the handle by simply turning the bolt 41 without a corresponding turning of the handle 46. Thus the user may tighten the handle at any time without difllculty. I I I The dome-like shell. member ,2 may be reversed in position at any time \for use either as a broiler or the like as shownin Figs. 1 to 3 or as centrally dished out part and a supporting shoulder or seat therearound, a thin sheet metal reinforcing arch member between said plate and said bafile, a grid plate and rack assembly supportable upon said upper plate member, and an invertible dome member carrying within the top thereof an electric heatingunit, said dome member having a supporting seat formed therearound for support directly on the shoulder of said plate member when said dome member is inverted.

4. In a cooking unit of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein the dome-like invertible mem-' bet and the base member are provided with hinge members which are readily separable by lifting the dome-like member from the base together with means for supporting the dome-like member out of heating relation with the grid plate and rack assembly.

inc1aim3 whereintheupperplate ofthebase and the grid plate are provided with peripheral curved mating portions for centering the grid and rack assembly and the dome member and said grid plate isprovided with means for centering the rack and said plate member forms with said grid plate an air chamber at the dished out part thereof and beyond the peripheral edges thereof.

7. In a cooker of the character set forth, a supporting base and an invertible heater carrying member supported by said base, said base comprising a bame member and an upper plate member and a reinforcing arch member of thin metal fastened to the upper plate member and said baiiie member at their central portions.

8. ln a cooking unit of the character set forth inclaimlwhereinthebaseandtherimofthe brackets. whereby the invertible member may he lifted from the base and supported in a substantially vertical position on said brackets when operating as a reflector type cooker and whereby the invertible member may be lifted to disengage the brackets and be supported upon the base in V the inverted position, with the bracket members dome-like member carry co-operating hinged in vertically spaced relation. J

parallel WILLIAM 0. arms. 

